-> ''"DON'T GET ME WRONG, I'M NOT RACIST OR ANYTHING. SOME OF MY BEST FRIENDS ARE HUMAN. BUT IF THEY'RE AS GOOD AS US, WHY DO THEY NEED SKIN? AM I RIGHT?"''-->-- ''[[SCPFoundation SCP-]][[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1171 1171-1]] on Humans''

Alice accuses Bob of discriminating against/being prejudiced towards group X, and Bob denies it, by pointing out "Some of my best friends are X's". Usually played for HypocriticalHumor, as if having friends of a particular racial/ethnic group makes them not racist. Said friends are rarely ever present to speak for themselves and, therefore, can neither defend or criticize whatever it was that earned Bob the accusation of prejudice. Besides, being a member of group X ''yourself'' [[BoomerangBigot will not necessarily preclude]] [[YouAreWhatYouHate your being prejudiced against group X]].

Often a response to MistakenForRacist. Related to YouAreACreditToYourRace, and often accompanied by NotThatTheresAnythingWrongWithThat.

This trope [[TropeNamer originally appeared]] in ''Series/AllInTheFamily'', where arch-racist Archie Bunker denies that he is, well, racist. When challenged, it turns out that all these "friends" are actually shoe-shines, waiters and other people who work for him, rather than anyone he actually socializes with. In other words, what makes it invalid was that it wasn't true. However, the trope quickly mutated; it was soon used to connote the fact that even having real friends of a race doesn't preclude one from being bigoted against them. Recently, even making the claim as a defense has been construed as ''ipso facto'' evidence of racism.

An UndeadHorseTrope that may be depressingly difficult to put down. See the [[Analysis/SomeOfMyBestFriendsAreX Analysis page]] for more information.

[[folder:Comics]]* Parodied in a ''ComicBook/SheHulk'' story involving ComicBook/SpiderMan and Jonah Jameson in court. A lawyer asks Spidey why he thinks Jameson has spent so many years attacking him in the Bugle. To mess with Jonah, Spidey jokingly replies that it's because he's black. The flustered JJJ gives the stock response. (Though in this case, Jonah's actually speaking the literal truth. One of his best friends is Robbie Robertson.)* In both the comic and film version of ''ComicBook/SinCity'', there is a scene in which an abusive ex-boyfriend is trying to get into the apartment of his exgirlfriend. She begins to mock him by implying that she has multiple African American boyfriends. The ex-boyfriend becomes even angrier but quickly mentions "some of my best friends are black".* ''ComicBook/{{Runaways}}'': Parodied when Topher assures Molly that some of his best friends are mutants, nauseating Gert. [[spoiler: He turns out to be a vampire who was trying to get them all on his side so he could eat them.]]* In the ''YoungAvengers'' miniseries during ''ComicBook/DarkReign'', blatant racist Big Zero tells her counterpart in the actual Young Avengers, Stature, that "some of my best friends are Jews". Neither Stature or any of the other Young Avengers were convinced in the slightest, and she was immediately turned down membership.* In ''ComicBook/IronMan'' (Vol. 5) #9, Death's Heads questions Iron Man if he's a "krypto-fascist."-->'''Iron Man:''' No! Absolutely not! Some of my best friends are robots an-- That sounds kind of robot racist, right?* From ''Comicbook/XFactor'' (Vol. 1) #92, when they'd just learned that their government liaison, Valerie Cooper, was part of the Sentinel program, and she protests that she was JustFollowingOrders and considers the team to be her friends.-->'''Comicbook/{{Quicksilver}}''': Some of my best friends are mutants? Oh, Val, how very typical of a [[FantasticSlurs flatscan]]. [[/folder]]

[[folder:Film]]* ''Film/GentlemansAgreement'':-->'''Bert [=McAnny=]:''' What? Now, Green, don't get me wrong. Why, some of my best friends are Jews.-->'''Anne Dettrey:''' And some of your other best friends are Methodists, but you never bother to say that.* In the 1945 film ''Blood on the Sun''-->'''Nick Condon (James Cagney)''': I lived [in China] 6 years myself.-->'''Journalist colleague''': Four was enough for me... Uh, [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial not that I haven't tremendous admiration for the Chinese people]].-->'''Nick Condon''': (mockingly) I see; some of my best friends are Chinese, huh? [laughs]* ''Billy's Hollywood Screen Kiss'':-->'''Billy:''' You're straight?-->'''Gabriel:''' Girlfriend in San Francisco. What's that supposed to mean?-->'''Billy:''' Nothing. Some of my best friends are...-->'''Gabriel:''' Straight?[[/folder]]

[[folder:Literature]]* In ''Literature/AmericaTheBook'', there's a section listing the most controversial Supreme Court nominees. One of them is (fictious) Floyd Burnington, who was a member of the KKK. The book notes: "But some of his best friends were... Actually, they were all white."* ''Literature/CatchTwentyTwo'', for the purpose of satire:-->'''Colonel Cathcart''': Do you really think it's a good idea to let the enlisted men in?-->'''The Chaplain''': I should think it only proper, sir.-->'''Cathcart''': I'd like to keep them out. Oh, don't get me wrong, Chaplain. [[SuspiciouslySpecificDenial It isn't that I think the enlisted men are dirty, common and inferior]]. It's that we just don't have enough room. Frankly, though, I'd just as soon the officers and enlisted men didn't fraternize in the briefing room. They see enough of each other during the mission, it seems to me. Some of my very best friends are enlisted men, you understand, but that's as close as I care to let them come close. Honestly now, Chaplain, you wouldn't want your sister to marry an enlisted man, would you?-->'''Chaplain''': My sister ''is'' an enlisted man, sir.* [[Literature/HarryPotter Horace Slughorn]] has a varation: "An X person was one of my favorite students!":-->'''Slughorn:''' Lily. Lovely Lily. She was exceedingly bright, your mother. [[UnfortunateImplications Even more impressive considering she was Muggle-born...]]-->'''Harry:''' One of my best friends is Muggle-born, and she's the best in our year.-->'''Slughorn:''' No, no! You mustn't think I'm prejudiced! Your mother was one of my absolute favourites!* In the ''{{Riverworld}}'' novel ''To Your Scattered Bodies Go'', Richard Burton defends himself against accusations of anti-Semitism by citing his many Jewish friends. Later in the story, [[NotSoDifferent so does Hermann GŲring]].* PlayedForLaughs in ''[[Literature/DontCallMeIshmael Ishmael and the Hoops of Steel]]''. Razza even has friends who are fans of Manchester United. Manchester ''United'', if you can imagine that.* Literature/{{Friday}} says this when Georges Perreault mentions that he's a genetic engineer, involved in the creation of {{Artificial Person}}s. Georges politely disagrees; while ''he'' can honestly say this, as his job involves working with such people, it's extremely unlikely that Friday would have any friends who'd even admit they were AP's, due to FantasticRacism. The irony being that (unknown to Georges at the time) Friday is an AP herself, posing as a normal human.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Live Action TV]]* In a Masterchef send-up on ''Series/HorribleHistories'', Gregg Wallace speaks to a caveman in stereotypical "Caveman-speak". When the caveman takes offence, Wallace replies "I didn't mean anything by it, some of my best friends are cavemen."* ''Series/TheThickOfIt'': Ben Swain's "I'm ''so'' not a racist! One of my best friends is an Asian" just [[DiggingYourselfDeeper makes things even worse for himself]].** Also this exchange:-->'''Ollie:''' You didnít say youíve got lots of black friends, did you?-->'''Hugh:''' No. Well, I havenít, I havenít got any.* After Dick was MistakenForRacist by Nina on ''Series/ThirdRockFromTheSun'', he used this argument when Caryn confronted him about it. The only black acquaintances of his which he could come up with were Nina and Caryn themselves. And [[Series/{{Today}} Al Roker]].* In the ''YesMinister'' episode "Equal Opportunities", Sir Humphrey responds to Hacker's claim that his opposition to women in the civil service is anti-feminist by saying that some of his best friends are women... "my wife, for instance".* Occurs in [[SurvivalOfTheFittest SOTF-TV]] with this quote, coming from [[TooDumbToLive Todd Hudson]] after mistaking Marcus Walker (an African-American) for one of his team mates while attempting a PrettyFlyForAWhiteGuy routine.--> '''Todd Hudson''': "Now, look buddy, I think we might of gotten off on the wrong foot... I think what we've got here is a simple misunderstanding! I mean, I LOVE black guys! Uh, black PEOPLE I mean, seeing as I ain't a fag or anything. But yeah, rap music? I am SO down with that shit! Snoop Dogg? Man, what an awesome guy! I must have, what, six friends who are black? Seven if you count Indian guys... Do Indian guys count as being black? I mean, I know they're kind of brown-ish, but... I dunno."* The villain in the Mexican soap opera ''Al Norte del Corazon ("To the North of the Heart")'', a racist and bigoted border patrol agent, attempts this before being [[PrisonRape gang raped in the prison's showers]] during the final episode:-->Stay away you fuckin' ''brownies''!-->You are a racist asshole!-->I'm not a racist! I'm married to a Mexican!* Played for laughs in the episode ''The Gang Gets Racist'' of ''ItsAlwaysSunnyInPhiladelphia''. After The Waitress overhears Charlie saying a comment out of context about African Americans, he goes out of his way to show he's not racist by showing he has African American friends.* ''As If'' (UK TV series) has this inversion:-->'''Alexander 'Alex' Stanton:''' I'm not being heterophobic... Some of my best friends are straight.* ''Series/TheMunsters'':-->'''Herman Munster:''' Grandpa, have you found anything yet to make me brave? When I think of riding a bucking bronco, I'm petrified!-->'''Grandpa:''' What are you knocking? Some of my best friends are [[TakenForGranite petrified]].* ''Series/WarOfTheWorlds'' (TV series):-->'''Quinn:''' I have nothing really against humans. Some of my best friends are humans. But [[HumansAreBastards as a group, they stink]], and you know it. I say, KillThemAll.* In a ''Series/SaturdayNightLive'' sketch parodying [[OccidentalOtaku white anime/J-Pop fans]] who are unaware of the UnfortunateImplications of imitating Japanese accents and mannerisms and singing in fake Japanese, one character states, "I am not a racist! My girlfriend is Japanese!"* Parodied on ''ThatMitchellAndWebbLook''. Jesus is giving the Parable of the Good Samaritan, but the people he's preaching to already know that the prejudice against them is bad, and one of the people says this trope word for word.* In UsefulNotes/NewZealand, Pio Terei presented a series of light-hearted documentaries beginning with the title, ''Some Of My Best Friends Are...'', which deliberately inverted this trope to provide a perspective from the show's subjects.* In ''Series/QuantumLeap'', after Sam admonishes Al for giving this as the reason he knows so much about Civil Rights Movement, he reveals during the 50 and 60's he took part in the Marches, got arrested, was beaten up by bigots and saw many of his friends killed along the way.* On ''Series/{{Survivor}}: One World'', attempting to defend himself against the charge of being racist, Colton Cumble stated that his housekeeper was black with perfect seriousness, apparently not realizing that the best way to defend against the claim wouldn't be to state that his hired help was black.* Played for laughs in one episode of ''Series/MightyMorphinPowerRangers'' when Lord Zedd creates the MonsterOfTheWeek Lanterra out of what Adam believes is his uncle's antique lantern. Adam eventually gets angry at the creature's taunting, and calls it "nothing but an inanimate object", to which he replies, "Careful, some of my best friends are objects." [[spoiler:Actually, as it turned out, the lantern he had been created from was nothing but a cheap one; Rita and Zedd had stolen the wrong lantern.]]* Jessica Williams uses this on ''Series/TheDailyShow'' when she claims that [[DoesThisRemindYouOfAnything most crimes are committed by men who fit a certain profile: white men in suits]]. When Jon Stewart points out that he himself is a white man in a suit:-->'''Jessica Williams''': Don't worry, I can say that! Some of my friends are white men in suits!* Joked about on ''TwinPeaks'' when the sheriff's secretary gets a visit from her sister, who decides to try to make friends with Hawk, a Native American cop.-->'''Gwen''': God, how you must hate us white people after all we've done to you.\\'''Haw''': Some of my best friends are white people.* ''Frontline'' (a 1990's Australian satire of current affairs programs). Anchorman Mike Moore says this re Asians. When the person he's interviewing challenges Moore to name these friends, he runs to his colleagues during the commerical break for help.-->"What about the guy who works in the carpark -- Mr Chink?"-->"Is that his name?"-->"No, that's what you call him."* ''Series/DoctorWho'', "The Invisible Enemy"-->'''Doctor:''' The Asteroid Belt's probably teaming with them by now. [[BoldExplorer New frontiersmen]], waiting to spread across the galaxy like a tidal wave...or a disease.-->'''Leela:''' Why a disease? I thought you liked humanity.-->'''Doctor:''' I do, I do! Some of my best friends are humans. [[HumansAreBastards When they get together in great numbers, other lifeforms tend to suffer.]][[/folder]]

[[folder:Music]]* Inverted by Music/StephenLynch (who is white), when he sings about his preference for black girls in his song "Vanilla Ice Cream." He mentions that he is not a racist since some of his best friends are white.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Stand-up Comedy]]* Subverted for laughs by Daniel Tosh, who recalls a woman indignantly jumping up his ass for making black guy jokes during his stand-up routine. Daniel replies ''"Now look here, lady: my best friend is... Cuban, and that's close enough."''* Sean Lock pokes fun at this trope during a stand-up routine:-->"It's a nonsensical argument if you think about it, 'I'm not racist, I've got black friends.' You might as well argue 'I'm not a murderer, some of my best friends are alive!' And if you try arguing 'I'm not a pedophile, some of my best friends are kids!' you'll probably make things worse for yourself."* Subverted in an Imran Yusuf joke: "Some people get annoyed at me for making jokes about [[ArabIsraeliConflict the situation in Israel and Palestine]], they accuse me of being an antisemite for making jokes criticising Israel. I always tell them, 'You know who my best friend at school was? He's a ''real'' antisemite, I'm an absolute amateur compared to him!'"* Creator/DaneCook lampshades the trope by pointing out that some people deny accusations of being racist by saying "I have a black friend." Dane says that now UsefulNotes/BarackObama is the president he will say "I'm not racist, I have a black president."* Stewart Francis says "[[HypocriticalHumor The two kinds of people I hate in this world are racists... and]] ''[[HypocriticalHumor Norwegians]]''. [[RefugeInAudacity Especially the black ones]]!" then goes on to say that [[NWordPrivileges he's allowed to do that joke]] because some of his best friends are... [[BaitAndSwitch racists]].[[/folder]]

[[folder:Radio]]* Referenced in ''WaitWaitDontTellMe'' when discussing the song "Accidental Racist" and BradPaisley's decision to make it a duet with LLCoolJ. Host Peter Segal alleged that this trope was in play, saying that the message was "Some of my best friends are... LL Cool J."[[/folder]]

[[folder:Theater]]* ''Theatre/AvenueQ'', during "Everyone's a Little Bit Racist":-->'''PRINCETON''': Everyone's a little bit racist...\\'''BRIAN''': I'm not!\\'''PRINCETON''': Oh no?\\'''BRIAN''': Nope! How many Oriental wives have you got?* In ''Theatre/StateOfTheUnion'', when Mrs. Alexander mentions that she's a Democrat like most Southerners, Grant says, "Some of my best friends are Democrats."[[/folder]]

[[folder:Video Games]]* ''VideoGame/{{Portal 2}}'' [[InvertedTrope inverts]] this - when the best insult [[spoiler: the power-mad Wheatley]] can come up with is "[[YouAreFat Fatty-fatty]] [[BigStupidDooDooHead no-parents]]", [[spoiler: [=GLaDOS=]]] replies "What exactly is wrong with being adopted?" Cue [[spoiler: Wheatley]] mumbling that "Some of my best friends are orphans" while trying to regain control of the conversation.** Even funnier? [[spoiler: GLaDOS]] then claims it IS terrible that Chel is adopted, but to just go with it. * Used to an extent (minus the actual phrase) in ''VideoGame/MassEffect2'' when Grunt realizes he [[FantasticRacism hates turians]]. Shepard's Renegade response is to threaten him that he'd better not start anything with Garrus. Grunt basically responds that he hates turians in general but not Garrus specifically.* ''Videogame/{{Psychonauts}}'': In Waterloo World, Raz has to try to convince a peasant to join Fred Bonaparte's army, the peasant refuses saying that Fred doesn't care about the people, to which Raz answers: "What? Fred cares about the people, in fact some of his best friends are... the people?" * ''VideoGame/SoulHackers'': During Judah Singh's vision quest, one NPC asks him if his saxophone shaped COMP can summon snakes. Judah, being Indian, is offended, and the man defends himself by claiming that some of his friends are indian.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Comics]]* Parodied in [[http://superredundant.com/?p=523 a strip]] of ''Webcomic/LeagueOfSuperRedundantHeroes'', where an extra-galactic visitor can confuse even StarfishAliens with humans, and then try to pretend that some of his best friends are from the Milky Way galaxy.[[/folder]]

[[folder:Web Original]]* [[Radio/TrueCapitalist Ghost]], when faced with accusations of racism, usually says, "I am not a racist, I am a Melting Pot of Friendship, I happen to have a whole BUNCH of friends who HAPPEN to be black! I also have friends who are [[NotHelpingYourCase wops, camel jockeys and Krauts!]]"* [[DeconstructedTrope Deconstructed]] in [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b0Ti-gkJiXc this]] Website/YouTube video. The poster differentiates between what a person ''does'' and what a person ''is''. The main point is that while a person might not be racist, a particular action of that person could still be racist.* ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' gives us [[http://www.scp-wiki.net/scp-1171 SCP-1171]], who asserts that [[FantasticRacism he's not racist, some of his best friends are human.]]* Parodied (along with other racism tropes) on [http://www.blackpeopleloveus.com/ Black People Love Us]-->'''Testimonial:''' Johnny always says: "I'm not racist; one of my best friends is Black!" I think he might mean me!* "[[http://www.funnyordie.com/videos/f876edd60c/black-nra The Black NRA]]": Neal Brennan has over twenty black friends and intends to give them all guns. [[/folder]]

[[folder: Western Animation]]* ''TheSimpsons'': Krusty has a minor identity crisis when his Jewish credentials are brought into question:-->'''Krusty:''' I thought I was a self-hating Jew, and now it turns out I'm just another anti-semite!-->'''Rainer Wolfcastle:''' We have so much to discuss.* In ''TransformersGeneration1,'' Bumblebee once said "Some of my best friends are humans." Of course, he actually ''does'' like humans.* ''WesternAnimation/KingOfTheHill'': One episode featured Hank being MistakenForRacist when his dog bit an African-American repairmen. A veterinarian told him his girlfriend is African-American. [[spoiler:It turns out Hank's hatred is against repairmen and the idea of needing their services]].** Hank tried to invoke this with Roger, treating him especially nicely so he would vouch for Hank (which he would have done anyway), but due to computer incompetence, Hank ends up failing an online racism test Roger gave him to document his innocence.** In "My Own Private Rodeo", when Dale finds out his father is gay, he's okay with it because [[RunningGag "John Redcorn's gay and I've been friends with him for years."]]* ''WesternAnimation/TheMightyB'' : "Some of my best friends are bees!"[[/folder]]